Leeds United’s season came to a disappointing end at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
The Whites were beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the play-off final, meaning preparations will now already be underway for another season of Championship football.
Despite missing out on their ultimate goal of promotion, plenty of players from Leeds’ squad can be proud of the way they performed over the course of the last 10 months.
However, good performances coupled with the failure to win promotion means interest will arise from elsewhere, and 49ers Enterprises have already acknowledged some key players will be sold.
That said, Paraag Marathe has also insisted there will be funds to spend for Daniel Farke, and so Leeds should have a strong enough foundation to put together another promotion push.
Anthony and Borja Sainz send message to Leeds star Mateo Joseph
Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto, Georginio Rutter and Archie Gray are among those who have been tipped to leave over the course of the upcoming summer.
It does not appear likely that Leeds will need to sell all of those four, though, particularly after announcing the most lucrative sponsorship in EFL history with Red Bull this morning.
Even if Leeds were to lose couple of those, it would still leave them in a strong position for next season, with plenty of players in the squad capable of going again.
One of those who falls under that category is Mateo Joseph, who posted a message to Leeds fans on his Instagram earlier today after his breakthrough season.
Though Daniel Farke did not hand Joseph a single league start, he showed more than enough in his cup appearances and cameos off the bench that he is someone Leeds can build their side around.
Having found the net three times in all competitions, the £900k ace averaged a goal every 136 minutes last season, a record which certainly deserved more minutes.
Norwich City star Borja Sainz and Jaidon Anthony – who sent a goodbye message to Leeds fans yesterday – were among those to respond Joseph’s Instagram post earlier this afternoon.
Sainz is someone who clearly recognises the potential of Joseph, as he left the comment: “Just the beginning my brother.” Anthony simply wrote: “Mi hermanooo,” which translates to ‘my brother’.
What did Joseph write in message to Leeds fans?
Joseph could’ve been forgiven for feeling a little aggrieved at his lack of game time in the last few months, considering how impressive he looked in the brief time he did play.
However, that certainly did not come across in his post on Instagram to supporters, as he instead displayed his gratitude for the opportunities he has had this season.
He said: “Gutted we were so close to getting the club back to the Premier League. This team and these fans deserved better.
“But I’m thankful for all your support and the experiences this season. Time to rest up and comeback stronger.”